The opinions stated in this article are solely those of the author and not of the Davis Clipper.

While remodeling a home in Minnesota last week, a homeowner found a comic book mixed in with old newspapers insulating his ceiling. It wasn’t just any old comic book; it was a 1938 Action Comic No. 1 featuring the debut of Superman, which in great condition (which it wasn’t), would be worth more than $2 million. Still, online bidding was up to $137,000 last week.

My friend Jon Weimer from Davis County didn’t have to paw through his insulation for his find. All he had to do was grab a few boxes from his bedroom closet.

Jon had always been a fan of Michael Jordan, so it was natural that he wanted to wear Air Jordan Nike shoes. At age 15, he received his first pair for his birthday. He wore them and wore them, until the next year’s pair was released. In 1992, he received a third pair (Jordan No. 6), but since the shoes Р another birthday gift Р were slightly too large, he only wore them some 25 times and placed them in their box for safe-keeping.

All the time, Jon had a sneaking suspicion that old shoes might someday have value. His wife, Madison, thought differently.

“They are smelly old shoes,” she pointed out. “When you wear them, the soles flake off!” Madison thought there were better uses for the closet than to pile up boxes of shoes one would never wear again.

By now, you can tell where this story is headed. Nike Air Jordan shoes have become collector’s items. Two weeks ago, Jon put five of his pairrs on Ebay, hoping that he could raise as much as $1,000 to defray expenses of a coming family vacation.

“I was amazed at the number of inquiries,” he said.

He was also shocked at the bidding.

Those 1992 Jordan No. 6 shoes, the ones slightly too large for his feet, were claimed by a California man for $1,125. A mid-90’s retro release of Jordan No. 1 Р for which Jon paid $30 Р sold for $380. Another pair of retro shoes went for $295. Two other pairs, including one with a cut toe, brought in a combined $330.

Jon’s total haul was $2,130 on shoes that you, I, and his wife would either place in the trash or haul off to Deseret Industries.

Maybe this is the path to paying off our national debt. All of us have items collecting dust. What if we had a national online auction in which we agreed to send the proceeds to the federal government? Call it the National Spring Cleaning Project.

The way I figure it, President Barack Obama was a basketball fan living in Chicago. If anybody would have a few Air Jordans, it would be him. The President can take the lead and ask us to do our civic duty Р and let the baseball cards, the Cabbage Patch dolls, the Pez dispensers and the tattered copies of Mad magazine help our country solve its deficit.

I completely agree with the author. If people approve for loans and are continuously looking for a reliable lending service provider and if there are online lending companies, which borrow money without leaving home, then why not to create the national online auction to send the proceeds to the federal government. Maybe such way the government could repay all debts and should think about how to help people who cannot pay off their debts.

I completely agree with the author. If people approve for loans and are continuously looking for a reliable lending service provider and if there are online lending companies, which borrow money without leaving home, then why not to create the national online auction to send the proceeds to the federal government. Maybe such way the government could repay all debts and should think about how to help people who cannot pay off their debts.